“I always wondered who you were since he hadn’t brought you around the family. So what, you’re back to break his heart again?” Bethany asked before turning her attention to her brother. “Is she the reason you’re kicking the family out of the house now? If she is the one who was stupid enough to leave you before, why would you think she wouldn’t—”
“Enough!” Tristan stomped past Cree and gently grabbed his sister by the arm, tugging her toward the door. “It’s time for you to go.”
Cree didn’t miss the wicked smirk on the woman’s face, which only pissed Tristan off more.
“Wait,” Cree said and pulled on the back of his shirt. “Don’t. I was just leaving. I’ll, um, I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
“Cree, baby, you don’t have to leave,” Tristan pleaded and grasped her hand.
She swallowed hard, feeling like crap about what had happened years ago. If what his sister said was true, it would’ve killed Cree if Tristan had given up football. She might’ve been angry with him at the time, but she would have never wanted him to forgo his dream because of her.
She squeezed his hand and gave him a small smile. She wanted to stay, but it would be a bad idea. It was good they were interrupted. Their professional relationship was already on shaky ground. If they had added sex to the mix, she wasn’t sure what would’ve happened afterwards.
Cree pulled her hand from his grasp. “We’ll talk soon. Have a good night.”
As she hurried down the hallway, she heard Bethany ask, “Who exactly is she?”
Cree doubted Tristan would tell her anything, but what if he did? What if he told her she was his ex-wife? He had always hated keeping their relationship a secret. Would he tell everyone about their past?
Chapter Twelve
So many thoughts swirled inside Cree’s mind. The kiss. How right it felt to be with Tristan again. The secrets that she’d kept over the years. One scenario after another flooded her brain as she drove to her sister’s house. She needed to talk this out, and since Essence knew her and Tristan’s history, she’d understand why this was all so complicated.
But that kiss, though. That hadn’t been just a kiss. Nope, it was a reminder of what she and Tristan once shared. Him and that lip-lock was everything Cree told herself she no longer wanted but everything she had missed.
He had always been easy to be around, and she was amazed at how simple it had been to fall right back into how things used to be between them. Hanging out talking, laughing, and eating together, feeding one another, and the banter. It all felt so natural.
But now, the desire, passion, and longing swirling inside of her was something she hadn’t experienced in a long time. Not since…
Not since Tristan.
Cree shook her head. “Man…” She hadn’t felt this way since they’d been together all those years ago. There wasn’t a man on the planet who could turn her on like Tristan. She used to think he’d been made specifically for her, and after spending the last couple of hours with him, she still believed it.
Which was a problem. A big problem.
Cree squeezed the steering wheel tighter as she drove through the streets of Chicago. Getting involved with Tristan again was a horrible idea. However, she wanted him more than she had ever wanted anything in her life. But she didn’t want to still be attracted to him. However, all the old feelings for him were back, and it was impossible to ignore them.
“What the heck am I going to do?”
A short while later, Cree stood on her sister’s doorstep and rang the doorbell.
Essence opened the door almost immediately. “Finally. Where have you—”
“He kissed me, and I liked it,” Cree whined, interrupting whatever her sister was about to say as she stomped past her and into the house. But Cree pulled up short when she reached the living room. “Ahh hell.”
“Soooo, he kissed you, huh?”
“And you liked it!”
Her sisters, Dorian and Nyla said at the same time, then burst out laughing.
Raven, their sister-in-law ran into the room from the kitchen. “Wait! What did I miss?” In her hands were a charcuterie board and a plate of what looked to be three types of homemade cookies. “Who’s been kissing who?”
“Yeah, that’s what we want to know,” Nyla, Cree’s most outspoken and pain in the butt sister, said. “And just think, I thought we’d only be talking wedding stuff tonight.”
“Wait. Oh, my goodness! Is this about your mystery man? The one we ran into at the boutique weeks ago?” Dorian asked, looking hopeful.
“Ugh! I just can’t with you guys tonight.” Cree did an about face and started for the front door. So focused on talking to Essence, she hadn’t scanned the street out front. Otherwise, she probably would’ve seen their cars.
